Small waste disposal devices are common in households with toddlers in diapers, households with pets, hospitals, doctors' offices, biohazard laboratories, assisted living facilities, nursing homes and other locations where waste is generated and must be disposed of in a sanitary manner. Further, if the waste emits odors, the waste disposal device should also contain odors emanating from the waste.
Numerous waste disposal devices exist including those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,612,099, 6,804,930, 6,851,251, 7,114,314, 7,146,785, 7,316,100, 7,434,377, 7,503,152, 7,503,159, 7,617,659, 7,708,188, 7,712,285, 7,963,414, 8,127,519, 8,215,089, 8,235,237 and 8,266,871, all of which are incorporated by reference herein. Additionally, innovative waste disposal devices are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/172,715 filed Jul. 14, 2008 (US 20100005762), Ser. No. 13/172,976 filed Jun. 30, 2011, and Ser. No. 13/270,697 filed Oct. 11, 2011, all of which are also incorporated by reference herein.
Some of these waste disposal devices include a lid which is coupled to a rotation mechanism whereby upon closure of the lid, the rotation mechanism converts the closing movement of the lid into rotation of a twisting mechanism which engages with a length of tubing or a plastic bag in the waste disposal device to thereby cause formation of a twist in the tubing or bag. The twist is situated above the waste products in the tubing or bag so that emanation of odors from the waste products in the container is reduced.
As an example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,393,489 (Stravitz) describes a container defining a waste-receiving compartment having an opening, a lid connected to the container and having a first, closed position covering the opening of the container and a second, open position in which the opening is exposed, and a rotation mechanism arranged in the container to rotate the waste-containing member when present in the container. The rotation mechanism rotates the waste-containing member upon closure of the lid without manual handling of the lid. To this end, the rotation mechanism includes a rack gear coupled to the lid at an upper end region thereof and a gear assembly having a first gear in meshing engagement with the rack gear, and a second, drive gear in meshing engagement with the waste-containing member and which is rotationally coupled to the first gear. Downward movement of the rack causes rotation of the waste-containing member by means of the gear assembly. A foot pedal assembly causes both opening of the lid when depressed and closure of the lid when the pressing force is removed. The foot pedal assembly includes a foot pedal which extends outward from a lower region of the container, a horizontal actuating member connected to the foot pedal at a first end region, and a spring that is moved against its bias upon depression of the foot pedal and returns to its original state when the pressing force on the foot pedal is removed. The spring is coupled to the rack gear such that when the spring returns to its original state, the spring pulls the rack gear downward and thereby enables or causes closure of the lid and rotation of the waste-containing member.
Another important patent in this field is U.S. Pat. No. 10,053,283 (Stravitz) which describes a container including a bag handling assembly having a retainer coupled to a container wall, a bag support pivotally coupled to the retainer, and a closure component pivotally coupled to the bag support independent of the pivotal coupling of the bag support to the retainer. A first attachment structure pivotally attaches the bag support to the retainer, e.g., a hinge component on the retainer and a cooperating hinge component on the bag support on a first side of an opening defined by the retainer. A second attachment structure pivotally attaches the closure component to the bag support, e.g., an additional hinge component on the bag support and a cooperating hinge component on the closure component on a second side of the opening defined by the retainer. To fix the bag between the closure component and the bag support, the bag support includes an inner wall for supporting an open end of the bag, as well as an outer wall spaced from the inner wall, and a rim portion between the inner and outer walls, with a channel being defined above the rim portion between the inner and outer walls. The closure component defines a channel on an underside dimensioned relative to the inner wall such that when the closure component is pivoted against the bag support, the inner wall is received in the channel. To secure the closure component to the bag support, the closure component preferably includes a tab and the bag support preferably includes a flexible retainer that cooperates with the tab to enable temporary securing of the closure component to the bag support via engagement of the tab with the retainer. The bag support optionally includes a membrane having intersecting channels and intersecting slits at an angle from the channels, the channels being dimensioned to allow the bag to be received therein.
It is recognized that some of the previously issued U.S. patents to the inventor describe waste containers that utilize a bag and wherein, upon opening and or closing of a lid, a series of gears rotates a pliable membrane having fingers through which the bag extends to cause temporary twisting and or un-twisting of a temporary twist in the upper region of the bag above the waste. One purpose of the temporary twist is to substantially contain (hold down) offensive odor until such time as the bag is filled with odiferous waste and is ready for removal. One embodiment even provides a welded foldable handle to which the open end of the bag is attached to enable easy removal of a waste-containing bag. Yet another embodiment requires cutting the continuous tube of film and tying a knot for subsequent removal.
These variations are offered in current waste pails sold by Munchkin Inc. and some are based on causing rotation of the waste via a resilient rubberized injection molded TPE plastic membrane. This membrane is generally designed with slits that form fingers therebetween with the fingers sufficiently spaced apart to enable entraining of waste by the membrane. If the fingers of the membrane were to be too close to each other, grab functionality would be impaired. Munchkin pails are marketed as the Munchkin Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail, the Munchkin Step Pail and the Munchkin Pail.
An improvement to the waste containers with membranes that rely on grabbing of the waste when inserted through the membrane to enable rotation of the entrained waste to form a twist in the bag or tubing that prevents odor release from the waste was sought in order to, among other things, improve odor release prevention while simplifying the components. For example, elimination of the rotational componentry would simplify design and manufacture of the waste container.